I am continuing where I left off last week…..
We all know folks who are always a day late and a dollar short… they’re always a brick short of a full load… you would think their checkbook is made of rubber the way their checks bounce….
Like the woman at the bank who had cashed a check and just stood there staring at the money….The teller asked her, “did I give you enough?” The woman said, “I’m sorry, but no you didn’t”…. So the teller counted it again and the woman continued to stand there staring at it. The teller said, “Mam, I recounted it and I’m sure it is correct” "Yes," she said. "But it is still never enough!!"
If you’ve been sowing but aren’t seeing your harvest, don’t quit….The Lord of the harvest has made you for the harvest and He made the harvest for you. It has been divinely decreed and appointed….
There may be a delay, but you will reap in due season.He’s getting you ready for what He’s getting ready for you!
Please remember, that the greatest oak was just a nut that held it's ground!
Jesus said “call (or keep on calling) and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things such as you have not seen” Will you believe Him?
God Ordained That You Have More….But don’t undo what God has ordained for you, by speaking constant words of doubt and unbelief. By spewing out complaints and words that are toxic to your harvest. Sometimes we need to declare crop failure on all the stuff we have been sowing that we don’t ever want to reap, so that we can reap, what we truly desire….
Someone was interviewing an executioner. They asked him, “how long have you been working in this job? Well, he said, around 10 years… And how is everything going with your job there? Well...it’s hard to say, he said, but no one has complained so far”. (REALLY!)
The burning tongue syndrome…. empowers the executioner to destroy our harvest, with the power of our tongue.
James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, that can defile the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature..( ghen-eh-ah'… the cycle of seedtime and harvest)”
You are ordained to reap more than you sow…. God has set up the spiritual realm, just like the natural realm, to operate on the principal that you always reap more than you sow. You sow in faith, you reap grace and favor. Sow a kernel of corn and you get ears of corn. That’s around500% increase with every single ear of corn. Sow a grain of wheat and you get a head of wheat with multiple grains. The multiple effect is true with most grains!
Would Someone say “MORE”…
That’s a good prayer to pray over your tithe and your offerings…. MORE!, MORE! You are creating a path for your seed to follow, just like a farmer plowing the row which he will plant his seed in….Give direction and purpose to your seed! Speak over your seed… declare…MORE LORD!
Sowing and reaping are clearly spiritual principals, therefore physical laws are governed and founded upon spiritual laws. First comes that which is spiritual, then that which is natural. That’s why scripture tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto us. The founders of our country understood this, which is why they consulted the Bible when writing our constitution…
Titus 1:15 “Unto the spiritual, all things are spiritual”.
(it doesn’t say to “whackos” all things are spiritual… it doesn’t say to the pathetics who call themselves prophets, all things are spiritual…. It doesn’t say to saved, but do whatever you want people, all things are spiritual…. It says to the SPIRITUAL all things are spiritual!!! That means “those who are led by the Spirit of God”!!!!
1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient (soom-por-yoo'-om-ahee…cannot make the journey with you) all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. v20 For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's”.
So, we deduct that stinginess, selfishness, insensitivity, hypocrisy, and compromising your Christian values, do not glorify God…. They must be laid aside as an encumbering weight….Lay aside every weight that you might win the race.
Listen, Sowing and Reaping Is Training For Reigning…..The centurion whose servant Jesus raised from the dead, understood this, when he said “I have authority because I am under authority… Being under authority so that you have authority is important because Life is a series of problems and our problems reveal whose in charge in our lives. Living with lack and never having enough is a problem. When you have Exusia, which is knowing that you are backed by God’s authority, because you are under His authority, you begin to exert rulership over lack through mastering the power of sowing and reaping. You not only read and listen to the word, but you are applying the word.
Either you are in a problem now, you’re just coming out of a problem or you’re getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy and happy, than He is in just making your life happy.. (No one said YEAAAAAAY) ….
Our God is more interested in what I am than what I do. That’s why we’re called human beings, not human happenings….. Sowing and reaping exerts power over the power of the enemy because it breaks the power of lack and insufficiency….It Reveals our God Given Authority and our God intended Destiny…. Sowing and reaping exerts power over the power of the enemybecause it breaks the power of lack and insufficiency…
Since we’re dealing with sowing and reaping, deposit and withdrawal…. What about Galatians 5:22, 23.. The “fruit of the Spirit” scripture. It tells us about a spiritual harvest from the seed of the word which we sow in our lives. “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” And yet we have church members who can’t stand one another, pastors and boards that can’t get along, marriage partners who are like oil and vinegar, Christian families that are in turmoil, One church putting down and trashing another one, and on we could go….
Have you noticed that God doesn’t put you with folks who are always stroking you, who are always sweet, and dripping with honey… Have you wondered why you get stuck with the ones that try your patience, who stretch your long suffering and who rattle your love meter!
Two guys were talking and one said I’ve had it, I am so upset I had just get away from my job. I can’t be around that guy, and I cannot work for that creep another minute after what he said to me. The other guy said, well what did he say that was so terrible… Well, he said “You’re Fired”!!!
Someone has said …Don’t let your successes go to your head and don’t take your failures to heart.
Speaking of fruit, God says you are to have fruit to shareall around you…. It’s not just for you…. It’s for them… They need your fruit….. It’s for Grumpy Gladys, for Feisty Francis, for Larry Loveless, and Peculiar Patty….. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good” They’re not an interruption in your life, they are the purpose for your life…..
Corinthians 6:2 “Don’t you know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters”? v3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? how much more the things that pertain to this life”?
Remember saints, You are not here merely to make a living, to save for retirement and have a little fun and recreation. You are here to make Jesus famous, you are here to enrich, beautify and transform the world, and weimpoverish ourselves if we forget our mission….
Jesus was born to reign and so were you. . There is not even one child of God that was born to fail or be a victim of this world! In fact, Jesus said that though you are in this world, you are not of the world. This world is for training, but we have a destiny that is separate from it….Therefore, refuse to be ruled by the world and its diabolic systems that are all programmed for failure.This kingdom we are part of will rule over it all when everything else has turned to ashes…..
Sowing and reaping puts a demand upon the soil….orwhatever it is planted in… When the seed touches the soil, inside the seed there is an awakening as the soil embraces the seed and the seed responds and puts demands on the soil.
Psalms 42:7 The Psalmist calls it “Deep calling to Deep”….
It is a powerful phrase which is an incredibly simplistic description of how the forces which the great designer put within us, interact with the forces all around us. It is a word picture of God’s intentions, when He placed Adam in the garden and the man who came from the dirt, now takes charge of the dirt and becomes the force which molds and shapes it, and puts a demand upon it to bring forth.
Notice it does not say when “Shallow calls to Deep”…That would describe those who live with the perspective of “ME, ME, ME, I’m in love with me, me, me”…..GIMME, GIMME, My name is Jimmy”….When you give it, give it away! Don’t hold onto I.O.U’s because that’s the path of regret… I’m not talking about entitlement, I’m talking about how the creation works and how God set it all up. Give and it shall be given unto you…
There are those live a life of self-gratification, and they’ve had a pacifier shoved in their mouth at birth and they’re still sucking on it at 35! Popularity calls and they abandon their values to follow after it. Wealth calls and they abandon their principles to follow it. Convenience calls and they forsake the tried and true to embrace it…..This shallow approach can be like a spider web which starts in one corner of the church and before you know it there are spider webs from one end of the church to the other, all calling “ME, ME, ME!!!
Notice also, that it does not say when Deep calls unto Shallow”…. For then the call is just as futile and frustrating. For this describes those who truly have a yearning for more, but have surrounded themselves with those who settle for less and second best in their lives. It describes the eagle who has it’s feathers clipped and it has lived with turkeys, eaten with turkeys, and partied with turkeys so long that it starts identifying as a turkey, but deep inside there is always a part that knows better and knows there is more!
And somewhere in the process, as we answer all the calls of this world, we forsake, the Lord’s call… We have a call from heaven, let’s pick up the phone…
Luke 9:23 “And he said to them, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
v24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. v25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? v26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels”.
They announced at school that the circus was coming to town. One little guy had never seen a circus, so he pleaded with his dad to let him go. His dad said that if he got his chores and homework done, he could go. He finished his homework and chores and was handed money for the circus. He rushed downtown and heard the music, then saw the circus coming down the main street. The parade was the grandest thing he had ever seen. Caged animals snarled as they passed, bands beat their rhythms and sounded shining horns. There were acrobats and magicians, horses and elephants, and flags and ribbons swirling overhead. Finally, after everything had passed where he was standing, the traditional band of circus clowns, with floppy shoes, baggy pants, and a brightly painted face, some on stilts and some in funny cars, brought up the rear. As the clowns passed by, the little boy reached into his pocket and took out his precious money. Handing the money to the clown, the boy turned around and went home. What had happened? The boy thought he had seen the circus when he had only seen the parade that was advertising what was to come!He had settled for less than he could have had…..The best is yet to come, God’s not finished with you yet!!
Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now”. (until what) Then is goes on to say that it’s all waiting for our adoption and redemption… WE ARE THE ADOPTED AND THE REDEEMED. No more waiting….Let it all begin!
When Deep calls unto Deep, There is a divinely ordained exchange which takes place between the NEW ADAMand the creation around him, which is holding it’sresources in readiness for his call and his summons. We can hear and feel the intensity of that conversation….
Deep calls unto deep, is the powerful description of what happens when we understand and obey God’s command. As we invest the seed we have been given in every area of our lives, and allow it to come in contact with the forces which will cause it to reproduce and multiply.
In the far East there is a bird called the Huma. The people there believe that if the shadow of that bird comes upon your head, then you shall be given a crown. They’re close, but no prize in that box of Cracker Jacks!!
The truth is there is such a bird that is described as a dove… And all those who allow the shadow of its Holy Spirit wings to fall upon them, shall be crowned with favor, mercy and grace! Lord, may all those who are here allow that shadow to fall upon their heart and spirit, that we might hear the call of Deep calling unto Deep, and let the shallow places go!!!
Sowing and reaping puts a demand on God’s sovereignty, Isaiah’s prophecy echoes down the timeline of history: Isaiah 9:6, 7 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder … of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”
The government (the power of oversight) rests on His shoulder, not on the shoulder of any person, team, organization or network. You are in charge of your seed, and God is in charge of the oversight and increase….Hewaits for us to do our job, so He can do His! He watches over His word to perform it!
God says “Prove me in this, that I will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing such as you can’t contain…. God’s sovereignty supersedes every other force or power.
I don’t need to understand the complexities of this interaction between the soil and the seed to activate it. I simply sow the seed and God gives the increase.
Colossians 1:16 “For all things were created by Him, and for Him. v17 And he is before all things, and by Him all things consist”.
Malachi tells us that as I obey it’s principles, It holds the destroyer at bay. It is the breaker of lack and insufficiency. So we can pray, “Give us this day, our daily bread (our strength, provision, health, and connections) for this day and know it will be enough!
When we are bombarded by a blizzard of questions which all spring from the uncertain shallows of our lives, it is Good to know that in our faithfulness to this basic law of creation… there is a rest, a peace, and a sense that all is well with my soul for those who have resolved the issue, that He who is Sovereign over all, is Faithful.
That’s why Paul made the blessing which he declared in 2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness”.
This blessing declares that you won’t ever lack seed to keep the cycle going, or to jump start your harvest cycle if it’s in a slump.. (sow your way out of it) and you won’t lack provision for all you need… It contains resources for your own needs, and enough to sow back to God, and into the lives of others, for change and transformation. The harvest you need is all contained in the seed you already have…
I want to close again with….
Isaiah 55:10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not (in the form it was sent), but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. v11 So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent It”.
May your seed be released and come under the higher law of God, for increase and multiplication!!! I release your cycle of blessing and provision…..May it send shock waves out into your family and your relationships and release the gospel to be spread here and beyond.
I would like us to pray the prayer I pray day after day that is based on the feeding of the 5000 When Jesus took authority over the lack and hunger of the multitude who needed to be fed, this is what He did…
He took the loaves and fishes, He blessed it, He broke it, and He gave it away..
Let’s pray it together …“Lord take me, Lord bless me, Lord break me, and give me away”
